Arts, Crafts And Entertainment

After the layout of the house along with its exterior and interior finish had been done, the owner of the brand new house may think now of what theme the interior design should be based. There are some which theme of the interior matches the overall style of the house while for the rest this is not necessary.

A house that looks like Zen-inspired on the outside might be very busy in style on the inside. Walls maybe covered with wall painting left and right and lamps of different colors stand on every nook. Mirrors of mixed design and styles may all be set together in one area. As long as the arrangement can be justified, no matter what kind of style it may mean to the designer it still speaks of the home owner's true art. On the other hand, there are also home owners who prefer their houses to be multi-themed.

One corner may have "Arabian nights" kind of look while the other corner is very Filipino in style with lots of neutrals and wood. Upstairs might be busy with different themes, too. One bedroom can look like art-deco inspired while the master's bedroom is another Asian-art inspired. But this time, this could be Zen type of Japan. With this, the home interior will be far from being tagged as boring. This is true because no matter how nice the theme is perfectly set, seeing it 24/7 and all year round will make it appear dull after sometime.

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The Arts and Crafts movement was a reformist movement Inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and a romantic idealization of the craftsman taking pride in his personal handiwork. It was at its height between 1880-1910. In the United States, the terms American Craftsman or Craftsman style are often used to denote the style of architecture, interior design, and decorative arts that prevailed between the dominant eras of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, or roughly the period from 1910 to 1925.

The Arts and Crafts movement basically began as a search of authentic and meaningful styles for the 19th century and a reaction to the eclectic revival styles of the Victorian era and to the "soulless or heartless" styles of machine made "Industrial Revolution". Considering the machine to be the root cause of all repetitive and mundane evils, some of the protagonists of this movement turned entirely away from the use of machines and towards handcraft, which tended to concentrate their productions in the hands of sensitive but well-heeled patrons.

In 1861, the Arts and Crafts movement got its' biggest support when Morris founded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co., a furniture, design and decorative accessories company that stressed time-honored craftsmanship and natural materials. The timing was perfect for in 1862 the London International Exhibition showcased never-before-seen Japanese arts and Crafts, which had an immediate effect on design. England quickly became enamored with this new look and began shedding the layers of Victorian clutter from its homes.

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In the late 18th and 19th centuries, there was a hearkening back to the ancients, more specifically the Greeks and the Romans, in the fields of literature, the fine arts, architecture and the decorative arts. Thus was born the neoclassical age. Inspired and influenced by classical art, there was a surge to recreate its ideals and make people aware of the great body of work left to the world by the ancients. What the neo-classicists did was to draw inspiration from the past. They created a new format, but preserved classical ideals. Reason was their watchword.

Neoclassicism was an 'uprising' against the Rococo style, characterized by its elaborate ornamentation and the Baroque, with its excessive decoration. Restraint and regularity of form as embodied by the classicists is what the neo-classicists laid emphasis on in the architectural and visual art fields. These characteristics were incorporated into new 'arrangements'.

Neoclassical leanings were evident during the French Revolution, as also the American War of Independence. The Byzantine influence was apparent in the neo-classic style of certain countries. In the 19th century, several European and American buildings were constructed in the elaborately imposing classical mode. The Lincoln Memorial, a white marble edifice and the National Gallery of art are fine examples of the neo-classic style.

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Most of us have had arts and crafts classes in school, when we were growing up. We remember building log cabins out of Popsicle sticks, making friendship bracelets, or funny insects and animals out of pipe cleaners. But few of us know the real history of this ancient practice.

Man is a naturally creative animal. He has been making things with his own two hands for tens of thousands of years. Some of the earliest examples of handicrafts were pieces of ornamental jewelry, vases and tapestries. People have always enjoyed decorating themselves and their home environments.

The popularity of crafts reached its zenith in Medieval Europe. Craftsmen studied and practiced for years to produce certain saleable goods. Whether jewelry, pots, shoes or pans, craftsmen made a good living producing items they had been making since childhood. All of that ended with the Industrial Revolution.

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Like Florence in 16th century in Italy under the Medici ruling, Glasgow in 19th century was the one of the most powerful and wealthiest city of English Empire.

In the beginning of 18th century when Scotland turned to the Atlantic, Glasgow, as west coast city, was ideally placed for shipment of merchandise between England and colonies of New World and America. Glasgow was supplying United Kingdom as the rest of Europe in some quantities of products such as tobacco, for example.

Next, in 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution city grew in power and became more richer with many of millionaires fortunes. Expansion of successive sectors of industry like textile production, glass-making, soap-making and  lastly, shipbuilding and locomotive construction caused increase of number of many factories as a consequence of population and thousands of new jobs. Its huge industrial impact had a reflection in artistic and cultural ambition of the city. Inspired by Arts and crafts movement of William Morris, many of rich citizens and representatives of middle and upper-middle classes were interested in art and craftsmanship objects and other once wealthiest citizens, families or institution were able to became patronages for artists or gifted persons.

The most remarkable public institution at that time in Europe was The Glasgow School of Art, founded in 1845 as Government School of Design had an ambition to participate and develop new artistic trends and support modern artistic ideas.  Philosophic, cultural, social and artistic activity of William Morris in 19th century changed approach to art, importance of artists and art as a whole in contemporary world. Lots of artists and craftsmen at the end of 19th century came from the whole Europe provoked by his Arts and Crafts movement ideas and began to research their own artistic inspiration in natural world, organic forms and clarity of design.

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